August 25, 2008 - The Lads!

Our church hosted The Lads band last night - what an AWESOME time of worship and GREAT music!  Check out their site --- your kids will LOVE it!  The Lads are a great example of a ministry driven by the desire to get kids to know God.  (They are from New Zealand!)
Here's the link:The Lads Band

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August 24, 2008 - CtoG - Week 3

I am amazed at how quickly our weeks go by!

This week we began memorizing the Old Testament books of the Bible.  We are at an advantage because BOTH Jacob and Jenna already know the entire 66 books of the Bible - and in order!  (Thanks to our Bible Drill program at church!!) --- therefore we have been playing a game to see who can put their "cards" for the O.T.books in order the fastest.  It's been quite the competition!

We studied Noah and the migration of his descendants; the Tower of Babel; the Fertile Crescent, Sumer and Mesopotamia.  The kids made maps of the Bible lands and charted the migration --- very cool to see where everyone went, and compare to modern times.  Jen loved saying the world "fertilizer" for the Fertile Crescent - which actually made sense because of the rivers (Tigris and Euphrates) making the area great for farming.  The Sumerians were a fascinating study - we watched a video, Ancient Mesopotamia that showed some of the ancient findings of this people group - the first civilization; and did you know that education, the process of writing, and the wheel ALL originated from the Sumerians?  The kid's had fun creating their own clay cuneiform tablets - although they both admit it was more fun to eat than make!
We also discovered a bird's nest in a tree (a Bradford Pear) in our front yard.  One afternoon Jen noticed a broken bird's egg in the driveway (a white one without markings - the first clue).  The next day she was climbing in this particular tree, which she loves to do, and was surprised to find a nest!  She was so excited.  Soon all three of us were in it - quiet as to not disturb mama bird (a Mourning Dove) - and long enough to snap a picture.  Jen later went and added her own drawing to her nature notebook.
In Science Jen learned about the power of light - our experiment was to take a magnifying glass and a small piece of paper outside to see what would happen if you direct the sunlight onto the paper with the glass.  SHE CAUGHT THE PAPER ON FIRE!  It was amazing!  It took a bit of time -she had to be patient - and she realized that a piece of black construction paper worked quicker than a lighter colored piece. 

And the highlight of our week was preparing for Rosh Hashanah.  This was the next scheduled biblical feast.  A time of reflection and celebration of renewal (the birthday of the world) --- the Feast of Trumpets.  We shared a symbolic dinner Friday evening and have thoroughly enjoyed blowing the Shofar and reading the "reasons".  Today after church we went to the river for the Tashlich ceremony.  We came to the river this afternoon, our pockets filled with rocks.  The rocks are symbolic of sins.  As you reach into your pocket and feel a pebble, think about some sin, an action or thought for which you are sorry.  Ask God to forgive you as you throw it in the moving stream.  Know that He forgives you, that He is washing it away, and thank Him. (adapted from "Celebrating Biblical Feasts" by Martha Zimmerman).  This was a beautiful thing!  When we first arrived it had began to drizzle rain - I was worried it would cause the kids to whine about being in the rain, or complain that we hadn't eaten lunch yet, etc.  Yet my heart was calmed...we each picked up stones and quietly went in our own direction, pausing and reflecting.  As the stones were thrown I could hear the thunks and thuds...signs that the children (all of us) were giving over more of ourselves to the Lord.  After a little while we gathered together on a big rock for our "honey cake"...then we saw a family of snakes and spent some time investigating!
God is truly King of the Universe - oh that we would each take time to celebrate our LIFE in Him and allow Him to be our EVERYTHING!!!  This was our centerpiece for our Rosh Hashanah meal on Friday night - May God be your King - your everything - and may each of us draw closer to Him and claim His love and His mercy.

*Jen had a GREAT first week with Saxon 5/4 math.  I worked alongside her and by the end of the week she was working independently except for the introduction time of the lesson --- I am so proud of her!
*Jacob had a GREAT first week with balancing "our" work and his RTA work (the tutorial) --- he figured out his own schedule of when to do what and was finished early on Friday.  I admit I was surprised!

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August 23, 2008 - Jacob's first 5K!

Jacob and Dad going to the START - (Jen made the sign!)Jacob is starting to get a bit nervous -and they're OFF!  Go Jacob!!!At the end - red faced and trying to smile!  Good Job Jacob!almost at the FINISH! 
Uh-Oh!!!Poor Jacob!  He definitely gave it his ALL! (he puked!)We're proud of you Jacob!  First 5K Race - 33 minutes! 

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August 19, 2008 - Do you pray with your spouse?

Tomorrow night at church Hubby and I have the opportunity to share our "marriage testimony". 
We have spent a lot of sweet time together lately sharing thoughts and memories about the last eighteen years.  That's the easy part.  Our marriage has been a love story - between two people - but also about God and His love for us.  He has wooed us to His side from the very beginning.  I am truly grateful.  In many ways our testimony is about our individual love stories.  For me, I had to fall in love with my Lord before I could truly love Mike in the way I should and need to.  For Mike, he had to let go of his "warrior" within to soften his heart to me in all aspects.  We've had quite a journey - faced some hard stuff - but all the while seeking God and desiring His will.  Ironically we have learned that it is necessary to continuously die to our SELF in order to find our "self" - who Christ has designed us to be (John 3:30, "I must decrease, He must increase").   And honestly, I think THE most important thing is that WE have prayed together and FOR each other.  That has been the one constant thing -no matter what was going on around us.  God has been the glue that has held us together.  There were times when we didn't want to pray, or didn't know what to pray, but we still knelt together and came before Him. 

Dear friends, do you pray with your spouse?  If you do, may you always - as you can testify with me of the power of prayer.  If you do not, why?  In today's world, without Christ as the center of your marriage you will fail.  There are far too many things to pull you apart.  You must have the Lord holding you together. 

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August 17, 2008 - memory work

True worth is in being, not seeming;
     In doing each day that goes by
Some little good; not in the dreaming
     Of great things to do by and by.
For whatever men say in their blindness,
     And spite of the fancies of youth,
There's nothing so kingly as kindness,
     And nothing so royal as truth.
                                        ---Alice Cary
(Jen's memory work; Intermediate Language Lessons, Lesson 4)
not sure why I put the pic of my dog with this...perhaps he demonstrates "being, not seeming"...such a great dog, my Raider!

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August 16, 2008 - CtoG - Week 2

2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Our study began this week with a look at Adam and Eve.  How interesting for the kids to see how they blamed someone else for their sin; shirking responsibility.  Don't we do the same thing?  Another life lesson occurred when we read the account of Cain and Abel.  We discussed how important our motives are - and that jealousy and anger can bring destruction and despair.  We also talked about how God gave Cain immeasurable grace - he could've killed him on the spot, or caused something horrible to happen, but he didn't.  He sent him away, but with a covering of protection.  We also studied Noah's ark and were fascinated by the documentary we watched, "The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark".  Jenna pointed out that Noah's obedience was so important.  Our obedience to God will always bring blessings!  Hubby was able to sit with us almost every morning during our Bible time.  Oh how that in itself was the BEST part of our week! 

-Jen and I worked all week on math facts.  She will start Saxon 5/4 on Monday.  Pray for her!  She doesn't like change - especially with math - and although I know she is ready for this level, I also know she will need confidence and a good attitude (me too) as she begins.

-Jacob had orientation at the tutorial on Monday.  He'll take three of his classes there this year, as well as percussion again.  He is excited!  I was excited for him, as I watched him interact with the kids at the orientation.  He looked and felt comfortable.  He is going to have a challenging year academically -with everything combined- but I think he will do just fine.  He is taking Physical Science, Jr. High Literature, and Grammar/Pre-Composition --- Bible, History and Algebra 1 will be with me.

-We began our read aloud, "The Tanglewoods' Secret" by Patricia St. John.  It's more on Jen's level of reading, but I can already see that the spiritual application will apply to both the children.  I'm hoping Jacob will stick with me but once the tutorial starts (just on Mondays) I may have to rethink this part of our day.  He is taking a literature class and will have GOBS of reading to do...so we'll see.

-Jen continued right along in Writing Strands.  Amazing!  Most of the lesson she did orally before a word was even written, then penned the most wonderful sentences.  She is definitely a gifted writer.  I need to remember to give her opportunities to flourish in this area.

-I am in love with Karen Andreola's book, "Pocketful of Pinecones" --- even ordered her recommended guide, "The Handbook of Nature Study" by Comstock.  Jen started a nature notebook this week and we had the best time walking through a wooded area "on an adventure".  I think she enjoyed just having that time with me.  We used Karen's idea for the notebook - a composition book - and Jen sketched on a separate piece of paper, then we cut it out and glued it into the composition book and labeled it on the "lines".  She has 2 entries so far and is quite proud of her book.

-I've had Jacob go down to the kitchen to do his Algebra.  This has allowed him to work independently and without distraction.  He is learning to wait for me when he needs help - as well as try to figure it out on his own.  I highly recommend the D.I.V.E. cd's if you are using Saxon.

-Piano lessons started this week. 

Overall a good week.  I am thankful. 
One thing I'll point out is that when we started school 2 weeks ago I told the kids that I was not going to be on the computer except for "school stuff" and I wouldn't answer the phone unless we needed to hear from their dad or a doctor.  I told them to hold me accountable - and I explained to them that those were two areas of distraction for me.  I have been blessed by sharing this with them - and they have benefited from me being focused on THEM.

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